Examining developmental fit of the Adult Attachment Interview in adolescence

Abstract

When measuring attachment security, considering the developmental period of interest is imperative when deciding which measure of attachment to use. In the current review, we note a lack of fit between the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) – which is widely regarded as the gold standard for assessing attachment in adolescence – and the stage-salient experiences of adolescence. First, we explore how some of these normative experiences complicate assessment of attachment in adolescence. Second, we review the tenets of the AAI and detail its use with teenagers. Third, we investigate attachment in the context of multiple key developmental tasks of adolescence, including maintaining open communication, self-concept and identity formation, deidealization of parents, autonomy development, the shift of attachment behavior toward peers, and advances in executive functioning through development of the prefrontal cortex. After noting incongruences between those tasks and the AAI, additional weaknesses to using the AAI in adolescence are considered, including: (1) the “generalized state of mind,” (2) reliance on retrospectively reporting childhood experiences with parents, and (3) the apparent abundance of dismissing individuals. Considering the presented evidence, we resolve that the AAI – although a well-established measure of adult attachment – is not a good fit to the developmental stage of adolescence and thus, the development of other assessments of parent–adolescent attachment is needed. We conclude by making suggestions for future assessments of parent–child attachment in adolescence.